Blackhawks set roster for start of season

The Chicago Blackhawks have their 23-man roster set for the start of the regular season.

General manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday that the team had signed 18-year-old forward Brandon Saad to a three-year entry-level contract and that winger Viktor Stalberg would begin the season on the injured list with a bad knee.

When the team reassigns injured minor-leaguer Philippe Paradis, the Hawks will have reached the 23-man limit for the season opener Friday night against the Stars in Dallas.

"I'm very confident with our guys right now," said general manager Stan Bowman, who signed a three-year contract extension Tuesday. "I really like the mixture we have and I'm really optimistic to get everybody together. We still haven't seen that. Patrick Sharp hasn't been able to get into a game in preseason. Once we get our full lineup togehter and we get some momentum behind us, we have a lot of the pieces to be a team that can challenge for the Cup."

Coach Joel Quenneville said Sharp will be ready to play in the opener after recovering from an emergency appendectomy. Forwards Dave Bolland (upper body) and Ben Smith (concussion) could also play. Smith returned to practice Tuesday while Bolland wasn't on the ice but should return Wednesday.